j rj  y 


A 


COMPLETE  GUIDE 


ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 


WITH  TWENTY-THKEE  CUTS. 


REPRINTED  PROM  THE  LONDON  EDITION. 


BOSTON  AND  CAMBRIDGE: 

JAMES  MUNKOE  AND  COMPANY. 
1 854. 


CAMBRIDGE: 


ALLEN  AND  FARNHAM,  PRINTER8. 


THE  GETTY  RESEARCH 

INSTITUTE  LIBRARY 


GENERAL  REMARKS. 


We  feel  assured  that  a long  introduction  is 
neither  requisite  to  the  reader  or  publisher  of 
a work  like  the  present,  and  shall,  therefore, 
merely  say,  that  the  great  success  our  former 
little  works  have  met  with,  has  induced  us 
to  send  forth  this  edition,  in  which  will  be 
found  every  particular  connected  with  this 
very  useful  source  of  amusement  and  fashion- 
able department  of  practical  art.  The  illus- 
trations are  furnished  by  a late  pupil  of  the 
School  of  Design,  who  obtained  the  highest 
prize  for  Flower  Painting,  assisted  by  a stu- 
dent of  the  Royal  Academy  of  Arts.  Every 
example  given  has  been  practically  tested,  and, 


VI 


GENERAL  REMARKS. 


in  most  instances,  the  drawings  have  been 
copied  from  the  models  executed  in  leather, 
and  will  be  found  to  combine  durability  with 
beauty  of  design.  In  order  to  make  the 
leather  modelling  as  durable  as  possible,  we 
have  not  departed  from  nature  in  the  finished 
form,  but  in  the  mode  of  construction ; for 
example,  we  make  several  portions  of  a flower 
in  one  piece  of  leather.  The  Narcissus  and 
the  beautiful  White  Lily  have  each  six  petals ; 
in  both  instances,  we  make  the  entire  corolla 
of  the  flowers  in  one  piece thereby,  while 
losing  none  of  the  beauty  of  the  natural  form 
of  the  flowers,  we  gain  strength  and  solidity; 
as,  were  the  petals  of  the  Lily  or  Narcissus 
to  be  composed  of  six  pieces,  one,  if  imper- 
fectly cemented,  might  fall  off  and  detract  from 

t 

the  beauty  of  the  entire  piece  of  work.  By 
our  method  of  proceeding,  it  is  impossible  to 
do  so : we  mention  this,  as,  in  our  description 
of  Making  and  Modelling  Flowers  in  Leather, 
we  differ  from  the  literally  botanic  construction, 


GENERAL  REMARKS. 


Vll 


while,  at  the  same  time,  we  arrive  at  perfectly 
correct  and  artistic  formation. 

In  some  flowers,  as  in  the  Hop,  Dahlia,  etc., 
we  have  found  it  impracticable  to  combine 
many  petals  in  one  piece  of  leather;  where 
this  is  the  case,  especial  care  must  be  taken 
to  have  good  liquid  glue,  and  fasten  each  petal 
securely. 

All  leather  to  be  used  in  Modelling  Leaves, 
Flowers,  etc.,  must  be  first  wetted,  and  modelled 
while  wet;  and  as  this  is  a general  rule,  the 
student  will  understand  that  mention  of  the 
necessity  of  this  operation  will  not  in  every 
instance  be  repeated. 

Amongst  the  many  uses  to  which  Leather 
Work  is  applied,  that  of  ornamenting  Pulpits 
will  be  found  a capital  field  for  the  display  of 
this  art,  as  it  is  capable  of  being  moulded  into 
any  form,  and  nothing  can  possibly  have  a more 
substantial  and  beautiful  appearance. 

Glasses  of  varied  form,  as  jelly  glasses  and 
old-fashioned  goblets,  as  well  as  many  of  mod- 
ern manufacture,  can  be  covered  on  the  outside 


I 


viii  GENERAL  REMARKS. 

with  Leather  Work.  Lilies  of  the  Valley,  and 
other  such  flowers,  being  trailled  round  a 
groundwork  of  leaves,  and  being  either  gilded 
or  stained,  look  exceedingly  well ; and  as  they 
are  capable  of  holding  water,  become  really 
useful  as  well  as  ornamental  articles  for  boquets 
of  flowers. 

Fire-screens  and  scroll  work  are  executed 
exactly  in  the  same  manner,  as  described  in 
the  following  pages  for  frames.  Fire-screens 
are  generally  filled  with  Berlin  wool,  or  some 
other  fancy  work.  Those  who  would  prefer  to 
have  an  entire  piece  of  Leather  Work,  can 
paint  landscapes  or  flowers  upon  white  leather, 
using  the  same  medium  which  is  used  at  the 
School  of  Design  for  body  color  painting, 
mixed  with  finely  powdered  colors. 

Gold  Leather  Work  looks  remarkably  well 
upon  a blue  or  crimson  velvet  ground,  and 
makes  very  rich  frames,  fire-screens,  etc.  When 
tastefully  arranged,  the  flowers  and  leaves 
upon  these  grounds  have  a very  magnificent 
appearance. 


GENERAL  REMARKS. 


IX 


Amongst  the  numerous  articles  which  admit 
of  being  ornamented  with  leather,  may  be 
enumerated  frames,  brackets,  vases,  pole  and 
hand  screens,  card  plates  and  racks,  music  and 
watch  stands. 


I 


A 


COMPLETE  GUIDE 

TO 

ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 
■ 

THE  MATERIALS. 


The  principal  Materials  required  for  this 
work  are : — 

Basil  Leather, 

Skiver  ditto, 

A Bottle  of  Oak  Varnish  Stain, 

Ditto  Spirit  Stain, 

Ditto  Shaw’s  Liquid  Glue, 

A Bottle  of  Stiffening, 

A Small  Hammer, 


12 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


A few  brushes, 

Some  Tacks, 

A pair  of  Nippers, 

A Yeining  Tool, 

A few  hard  Steel  Pens, 
Brad  Awl, 

Pair  of  Scissors, 

A Leather-cutting  Knife, 
Grape  Moulds, 

Ditto  for  Passion  Flowers, 
Fine  Black  Lead  Pencil. 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  leather  work. 


13 


LEATHER. 

— « — 

The  kind  of  leather  used  for  general  purposes 
is  basil;  it  should  be  selected  of  an  even  tex- 
ture and  of  a light  color,  as  the  lighter  colored 
basil  takes  the  oak  varnish  stain  better  than  the 
dark. 

Great  care  must  be  taken  to  select  it  soft  and 
free  from  blemishes,  as  if  dark  and  rough  leather 
is  used,  the  work  when  finished,  even  by  skilful 
hands,  will  not  have  so  good  an  appearance  as 
the  production  of  much  less  skilful  artists,  where 
good  basil  leather  is  used. 

The  skiver  leather  is  used  for  making  grapes, 
or  very  small  leaves  and  flowers,  and  can  be 
obtained  at  the  same  place  as  the  basil  leather ; 
this  kind  is  also  very  useful  for  thin  stems  and 
any  minute  portion  of  the  work. 


14 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


DIRECTIONS  FOR  MAKING  THE 
LEAVES. 


Sketch,  either  from  nature,  or  from  the  exam- 
ple annexed,  the  leaf  you  intend  to  copy,  upon 
pasteboard ; cut  it  out  very  carefully ; then 


place  a piece  of  basil  in  cold  water  for  half  a 
minute  (not  longer),  unless  the  leather  is  unusu- 
ally thick;  the  leather  should  then  be  taken  out 
of  the  water,  and  pressed  in  a linen  cloth  until 
the  surface  becomes  dry.  Being  thus  prepared, 
lay  it  quite  flat  and  place  upon  it  the  pasteboard 


No.  1 


TO  OENAMENTAL  LEATHEE  WOEK. 


15 


pattern,  holding  it  firmly  down  with  the  left 
hand,  while  with  the  right,  draw  a line  round 
the  pattern  with  a fine  hard  black  lead  pencil  or 
the  veining  tool : while  the  leather  is  damp  cut 
out  the  leaf  with  a pair  of  scissors  or  with  the 
leather-cutting  knife,  as  occasion  may  require ; 
when  smaller  or  larger  leaves  are  required,  a 
reduced,  or  enlarged,  sketch  should  be  taken,  a 
pattern  made  of  it  in  pasteboard,  and  applied  in 
the  same  manner  as  described  above,  cutting  out 
as  many  leaves  as  you  require,  and  generally 
making  about  four  sizes  of  them,  as  varying  the 
sizes  of  the  leaves  adds  much  to  the  beauty  of 
the  foliage.  Leaves  all  the  same  size  would 
have  a very  formal  appearance,  as  they  must  be 
veined  before  they  are  allowed  to  dry ; too  much 
leather  must  not  be  wetted  at  a time,  nor  more 
leaves  cut  out  than  can  be  veined.  To  vein  the 
leaves,  mark  them  with  the  veining  tool  on  the 
smooth  side  of  the  leather  strongly,  by  pressing 
heavily  on  the  leaf,  where  a thick  vein  is  re- 
quired ; and  more  lightly  where  only  finer  ones 
should  be  visible;  for  raised  veins  employ  the 
end  of  a fine  pair  of  scissors  for  the  large,  and  a 
hard  steel  pen  for  the  smaller  veins.  Being 
veined,  the  leaves  should  be  bent  and  moulded 


16 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


/ 

as  they  are  to  appear  upon  the  work  when  it  is 
completed:  they  should  then  be  dried  rather 
quickly,  as  it  greatly  assists  in  the  hardening. 


©<^=^S>Q 


TO  HARDEN  THEM. 


When  the  leaves  are  thoroughly  dry,  brush 
them  all  over,  particularly  the  edges,  with  the 
prepared  stiffening,  applying  it  with  a camel’s 
hair  pencil,  nimbly,  as  it  dries  very  rapidly,  apply 
it  thin  and  evenly,  taking  care  to  cover  the  edges ; 
when  dry,  they  will  be  ready  for  staining. 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 


17 


TO  STAIN  THEM. 

— * — 

Pour  a little  oak  varnish  stain  into  a small 
vessel,  and  brush  the  leaves  all  over,  using  a 
hog’s-hair  tool  for  the  purpose  of  laying  on  the 
stain,  taking  care  to  cover  fhe  edges,  and  brush 
it  well  out  of  the  veined  parts  ; should  the  leaves, 
when  dry,  not  be  so  dark  as  desired,  another  coat 
can  be  given,  but  in  no  instance  apply  thick 
coats  of  stain,  it  will,  if  put  on  thick,  most  likely 
dry  darker  in  one  place  than  another,  and  will 
never  have  so  smooth  an  appearance  as  when 
two  thin  coats  have  been  applied ; take  care 
always  that  one  coat  must  be  dry  before  another 
is  applied. 


2 


18 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


TO  MAKE  STEMS. 

— * — 

Cut  strips  of  basil  leather  about  one  third  of 
an  inch  wide  and  as  long  as  the  leather  will 
allow ; soak  them  well  in  water  for  a few  min- 
utes until  they  feel  very  soft,  take  them  out,  wipe 
the  water  from  the  surface,  then  roll  them  round 
as  tightly  as  possible  (the  smooth  side  outwards) 
on  a table  or  any  even  surface,  and  dry  them ; if 
required  very  stiff,  add  inside  a piece  of  wire ; 
when  very  thick  ones  are  required  the  leather 
must  be  proportionately  wider. 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 


19 


TO  MAKE  TENDRILS. 

Tendrils  are  made  in  the  same  manner  as 
Stems,  using  skiver  instead  of  basil  leather,  dry 
them  quickly,  and  they  will  then  be  ready  for  use 
in  the  following  manner : take  a tendril,  damp  it 
and  immediately  wind  it  round  a bradawl  or  a 
piece  of  stout  wire,  taking  care  to  fasten  both 
ends  of  the  tendril  so  that  it  does  not  fly  off; 
dry  it  by  the  fire,  then  remove  it  from  the  awl 
and  a delicately-formed  tendril  will  be  the  result; 
arrange  it  and  cut  to  length  and  form  wished, 
and  apply  a coat  of  stiffening  to  keep  it  in 
shape.  Stems  and  tendrils  are  to  be  hardened 
and  stained  precisely  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
leaves. 


20 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


GRAPES. 


In  order  to  produce  grapes  symmetrically 
formed,  a proper  mould  should  be  obtained ; then 
cut  rounds  of  skiver  leather  the  size  required, 
which  must  be  wetted  and  placed  in  the  mould 
the  smooth  side  downwards ; then  fill  the  leather 
in  the  mould  firmly  with  wadding,  and  tie  the 
grapes  securely  with  strong  thread  or  fine  twine ; 
when  the  grape  is  finished,  put  a piece  of  wire 
through  the  part  where  it  has  been  tied  up  to 
form  a stalk.  Or  grapes  can  be  made  of  deal 
or  any  soft  wood  with  a hole  pierced  through  the 
centre  large  enough  to  admit  of  a leather  or 
gutta  percha  stalk  being  drawn  through  and  fas- 
tened at  one  end ; they  should  now  be  stained 
and  made  into  clusters ; wooden  grapes  may  be 
covered  with  damp  skiver  leather  if  preferred ; it 
is  necessary  to  observe,  in  making  the  clusters, 
that  the  tying  should  be  entirely  concealed ; all 
fruit  and  flowers  must  be  stained,  etc.,  precisely 
in  the  same  manner  as  leaves. 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 


21 


TO  ORNAMENT  A FRAME. 


Procure  a deal  frame  of  the  size  and  form  re- 
quired, taking  care  to  have  it  made  of  well- 
seasoned  wood.  Size  it  all  over  with  patent 
size.  Leave  it  about  an  hour  to  dry,  then  apply 
a coating  of  oak  varnish  stain,  and  when  dry  it 
will  be  ready  for  use.  Commence  the  process  of 
covering  by  attaching  the  stem  with  small  tacks 
all  round,  in  spaces  of  a few  inches,  in  a zigzag 
direction.  Supposing  the  vine  pattern  frame  is 
selected,  cover  the  wood  with  four  or  five  grada- 
tions of  foliage,  well  arranged,  so  as  to  preserve 
as  nearly  as  possible,  the  natural  appearance  of 
the  vine.  Too  great  a profusion  of  grapes  should 
be  avoided ; but  as  the  number  and  size  of  the 
clusters  can  hardly  be  determined,  we  must  there- 
fore leave  it  to  the  taste  of  the  artist. 

Common  pins  can  be  used  with  advantage  in 
keeping  in  its  proper  place  that  portion  of  the 
work  where  glue  only  can  be  applied  for  the  per- 
manent fastening.  When  the  work  becomes 
firmly  attached,  the  pins  can  either  be  with- 
drawn, or  they  can  be  cut  off,  close  to  the  orna- 
ments, with  the  nippers. 


22 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


THE  PROPER  KIND  OF  FRAMES  TO 
PROCURE. 

The  frames  best  adapted  for  the  work,  we 
have  found  to  be  those  levelled  off  on  the  outer 
edge  to  about  half  an  inch  thinner  than  the  inner, 
and  fo  med  as  shown  in  Fig.  2.  Frames  made 
in  this  shape  greatly  increase  the  beauty  of  the 


No.  2. 


entire  design.  A narrow  gold  beading  we  have 
generally  added  inside,  as  the  gold  gives  a more 
fi  nished  Appearance  to  the  frame. 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 


23 


WATCH  STANDS, 

Can,  like  one  below,  be  made  by  every  carpen- 
ter ; they  must  be  strong  to  bear  the  nailing  and 
gluing  on  of  the  leather  ornaments.  The  design 
here  given  (Fig.  3),  we  keep,  as  well  as  other  de- 


scriptions in  stock,  but  they  can  be  varied  ad 
infinitum ; and  we  shall  be  happy  to  make  any 
design  to  order  very  promptly,  or,  as  we  have 
before  observed,  almost  any  carpenter  can  make 
them,  if  furnished  with  a drawing  to  work 
from. 


24 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


THE  WHITE  LILY. 

4 

This  beautiful  flower,  one  of  the  oldest  inhab- 
itants of  the  flower  garden,  has  six  petals,  which 
are  formed  of  one  piece  of  leather,  as  in  Fig.  1 ; 


No.  4. 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 


25 


the  three  largest  petals,  which,  alternate  with  the 
others,  are  brought  uppermost,  while  the  three 
smaller  ones  are  placed  behind.  Our  readers 
will  at  once  perceive  what  is  meant  by  referring 
to  the  finished  flower ; they  are  to  be  veined  and 
curled  as  in  the  natural  flower,  and  the  petals 
will  be  required  to  be  glued  to  keep  them  in  their 
proper  places ; it  is  necessary,  if  you  have  not 
our  mould  for  that  purpose,  to  adapt  something 
to  place  the  lily  upon  while  modelling  it,  as  near 
the  shape  of  the  interior  of  the  flower  as  possible. 
The  lily  has  six  stamina,  with  oblong  anthers, 
which  are  made  in  the  manner  described  for  the 
convolvolus ; the  pistil,  with  its  swollen  base  or 
germen,  lengthened  style  and  heart-shaped  stig- 
ma, should  be  carefully  imitated  from  nature, 
being  a very  prominent  feature  in  the  flower; 
the  stamina  should  be  placed  round  the  germen 
of  the  pistil  and  fastened  with  liquid  glue  into 
the  centre  of  the  flower ; it  must  be  recollected 
that  the  smooth  side  of  the  leather  must  be  in- 
side the  lily  as  in  the  convolvolus ; some  flowers 
require  the  smooth  side  of  the  leather  inside,  and 
some  outside;  it  must  depend  upon  whether  the 
interior  or  exterior  of  the  flower  is  most  in  sight, 
and  in  some  instances  in  the  same  flower  some 


26 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


petals  must  be  placed  one  way,  and  some 
another. 

The  bud  of  the  lily  is  formed  by  merely  fold- 
ing the  whole  corolla  together  veined. 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 


27 


FUSCHIA. 


The  calyx  forms  the  external  part  of  this 
flower,  and  is  made  with  one  piece  of  leather  cut 
as  in  the  accompanying  (Fig.  1).  The  petals 
within  this  are  four,  and  are  cut  out,  the  four  in 


No.  5. 


one  piece ; in  the  form  of  the  dotted  line  in  Fig. 
1,  they  must  be  moulded  into  shape  and  glued  to 


28 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


the  stamina  inside  the  calyx  so  as  to  alternate 
with  its  petals.  This  flower  belongs  to  the  class 
Enneandria,  having  nine  stamina ; they  are  to 
cut  in  one  piece  of  leather.  To  put  the  fuschia 
together,  proceed  as  follows : — Cut  the  nine 
stamina,  and  attach  to  them  the  wire,  to  form 
the  stalk  ; then  roll  the  four  petals  firmly  over  the 
stamina ; they  must  be  moulded  and  glued  round 
the  stamina  and  stalk,  then  take  the  calyx  and 
roll  round  the  whole;  the  leaves  must  be  ex- 
panded and  moulded  as  in  the  engraving,  taking 
care  that  the  stamina  are  left  out  as  in  the  nat- 
ural flower,  and  that  the  inner  petals  alternate 
with  the  leaves  of  the  calyx ; to  make  the  buds, 
roll  up  the  calyx,  and  turn  the  ends  in,  not  in- 
serting any  stamina. 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 


29 


BRACKETS. 


The  beauty  of  a bracket  depends  entirely  upon 
the  artistic  skill  displayed  in  ornamenting  it. 
The  engraving  here  given  is  to  illustrate  the  form 


of  bracket  best  suited  to  give  it  strength  and  so- 
lidity, and  to  aid  the  artist  in  bringing  the  work 
well  out,  the  strips  of  wood  on  each  side  of  the 
piece  in  the  centre  will  be  found  exceedingly  use- 
ful to  nail  and  glue  the  work  upon  ; they  must 
be  entirely  covered  with  the  foliage ; the  centre 
piece  can  be  hidden  or  not  to  suit  the  design ; 
the  appearance  of  brackets  are  much  improved 
by  having  the  edge  of  the  upper  part  gilded. 


No.  6. 


30 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


TO  MAKE  THE  CONVOLVOLUS 
FLOWERS. 

The  Convolvolus,  termed,  by  Botanists,  Mo- 
nopetalons,  from  its  being  composed  of  only  one 
petal,  is  exceedingly  well  adapted  for  leather 
work;  it  is  made  by  cutting  a half  circle  of 
leather  with  a little  piece  cut  out  of  the  centre  of 
the  diameter,  as  seen  in  the  annexed  engraving 
(Fig.  1).  The  leather  so  cut  must  be  wetted 

1. 


and  veined,  then  bent  round  (the  smooth  side  in- 
side, so  that  the  smooth  side  of  the  leather  form 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  -WORK. 


31 


the  inside  of  the  flowers)  until  the  two  edges  on 
each  side  of  the  notch  come  together,  where  they 
are  to  be  joined  by  being  either  stitched  or  glued 
together ; it  will  then  have  a conical  shape,  and 
must  be  moulded  with  the  fingers,  or  the  mould, 
until  it  assumes  a natural  appearance ; the  top 
can  be  cut  to  shape,  and  that  part  is  finished ; 
cut  the  stamina,  as  in  (Fig.  2),  leaving  a stalk 
of  leather  attached  to  it  in  the  following  man- 
ner:— take  a piece  of  basil  about  a quarter  of  an 
inch  wide  and  a few  inches  long ; cut  the  top  as 
in  Fig.  2,  taking  care  to  preserve  the  form  of  the 
anther  at  the  top  of  each  stamen,  and  rolling  the 
stalk  part  up,  put  it  through  the  petal  and  glue 
it  in  its  proper  place.  The  calyx  has  five  leaves 
(Fig.  3),  and  is  cut  in  one  piece  of  leather;  a 
hole  is  made  in  the  centre,  it  is  strung  on  the 
stalk  and  attached  with  glue  to  the  bottom  of 
the  flower  outside  as  in  the  finished  flower  (Fig. 
4),  so  that  the  perfect  convolvolus  is  composed  of 
three  pieces,  the  petal  forming  the  body  of  the 
flower,  the  stamina  inside,  and  the  calyx  at  the 
bottom  of  the  flower  outside. 


32 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


THE  CONVOLVOLUS  ANOTHER  WAY. 

Another  way  to  make  the  Convolvolus  is  to 
cut  a round  piece  of  leather  the  size  of  the 
flower  required,  and  while  wet,  moulding  it 
over  the  mould  for  that  purpose,  and  bending  it 
into  shape ; the  Canterbury  bell  can  be  formed 
of  one  piece  of  leather  in  the  same  manner, 
cutting  the  top  into  proper  shape  with  a pair  of 
scissors. 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 


33 


HOPS. 


The  Hop  consists  of  numerous  membraneous 
scales  having  the  fruit  within,  and  at  their  base ; 
with  the  fruit,  however,  we  have  nothing  to  do, 
as  it  is  out  of  sight.  The  membraneous  scales 
are  the  petals  of  the  flower,  and  in  the  engraving 
(Fig.  1,)  are  twenty  in  number ; they  are  all  the 


same  size,  and  are  cut  out  of  skiver  leather,  the 
shape  of  the  single  petal  (Fig.  2). 


3.  2. 


l. 


No.  8. 


3 


34 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


To  make  the  Hop,  proceed  as  follows : — 
Take  a piece  of  wire  and  wind  leather  round 
the  end  of  it,  as  in  Fig.  3,  fastening  it  well  with 
liquid  glue ; this  inner  body  should  be  somewhat 
shorter  than  the  Hop  is  to  be  when  completed, 
and  pointed  at  both  ends.  Cut  out  as  many 
petals  as  are  requisite,  and  mould  them  into  a 
convex  form  at  the  end  of  each  petal,  then  glue 
them  alternately,  commencing  at  the  bottom  and 
finishing  at  the  top  of  the  flowers. 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 


35 


PASSION  FLOWER. 


The  Passion  Flower  is  composed  in  leather  of 
five  pieces,  and  when  well  made  presents  a very 
beautiful  specimen  of  what  can  be  accomplished 
in  that  material. 

In  making  the  Passion  Flower  cut  out  the 


calyx  of  five  leaves  — that  is,  the  part  of  the 
drawing  in  the  annexed  diagram  with  the 


36 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


pointed  end;  then  cut  out  the  corolla  of  five 
petals  with  the  rounded  ends ; cut  also  a circu- 
lar piece  for  the  nectary,  which  must  be  cut  all 
round  with  the  knife  to  form  the  radii,  the  centre 


having  many  small  cuts  radiating  from  the  cen- 
tral point;  when  turned  upward,  in  putting  it 
in  its  place,  forms  the  fringe-like  appearance 
around  the  pistil  seen  in  the  flowers. 

The  Passion  Flower  has  five  stamina  with 
ladle-shaped  ends,  or  anthers,  and  three  stigmas 
a little  elevated  above  and  turning  over  the 
stamina;  the  anthers  and  stigma  are  made  of 
one  piece  of  leather.  The  involucrum  is  formed 
also  of  one  piece,  and  the  three  leaves  are  laid 
one  over  the  other,  as  in  the  annexed  flower. 


No.  10. 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 


3? 


To  put  together  the  various  parts  above  de- 
scribed and  form  the  Passion  Flower,  begin  by 
doubling  a piece  of  wire  over  the  angles  of  the 
stamina,  twisting  it  underneath ; roll  a piece  of 
skiver  leather  round  the  wire  to  form  the  style  of 
the  pistil  and  the  stem  of  the  whole  flower ; 
then  turn  up  the  three  stigmas  and  roll  a small 
piece  of  leather  round  them  close  to  the  stamina, 
and  turn  them  over ; this  being  done,  place  the 
nectary  on  the  stem,  taking  care  that  the  cut 
portion  in  the  centre  be  arranged  upwards 
around  the  pistil.  The  petals  are  next  placed 


. 38 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


on  the  stem,  followed  by  the  calyx ; the  leaves 
of  the  calyx  must  alternate  with  the  petals; 
liquid  glue  must  be  inserted  between  each  por- 
tion of  the  flower  to  give  it  firmness. 

The  involucrum,  which  is  a sort  of  calyx,  is 
put  on  the  stem  last  a little  way  below  the  true 
calyx;  we  may  just  add,  that  all  the  leaves, 
petals,  etc.,  with  the  exception  of  the  involu- 
crum, must  have  the  smooth  side  of  the  leather 
uppermost;  the  petals  and  calyx  must  be  hol- 
lowed out  with  the  modelling  tool  for  that  pur- 
pose, or  if  that  is  not  at  hand,  use  the  handle  of 
the  veining  tool,  and  laying  the  petals  and  also 
the  calyx  on  a smooth  surface,  rub  them  with  the 
ivory  end  of  the  veining  tool  till  they  become 
hollow  and  smooth,  as  in  the  natural  flower. 

The  above  is  the  way,  as  plainly  as  we  can 
possibly  describe  it,  to  make  a Passion  Flower. 
We  have  repeatedly  made  the  flower  exactly 
upon  the  above  plan,  and  it  has  always  been 
much  admired. 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 


41 


CAMILLA. 

Camillas  vary  in  the  form  of  leaves,  and  the 
petals  vary  in  number.  To  make  a Camilla,  cut 
out  two  pieces,  as  in  the  annexed  diagram,  con- 


taining four  petals  in  each ; then  cut  out  one  or 

e- 

two  larger  pieces,  with  six  petals  in  each,  and 
one  or  more  still  larger,  with  seven  or  eight 
petals ; then,  having  a natural  Camilla  at  hand, 
mould  them  all  into  form,  fasten  all  the  pieces 
of  leather  together,  the  smallest  at  the  top,  and 
the  largest  at  the  bottom,  so  that  the  petals 
alternate,  with  liquid  glue,  and  put  a piece  of 
wire  through  the  whole  for  the  stalk;  cover  it 
with  skiver  leather. 


42 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


JESSAMINE 


To  make  the  Jessamine,  copy  the  corolla  from 
the  annexed  design,  by  cutting  a star-like  piece 


of  basil,  into  which  insert  the  wire  for  the  stalk 
as  closely  as  possible.  As  the  stamina  are  not 
visible  in  this  flower,  it  is  needless  to  make 
them.  The  tube  upon  which  the  corolla  rests, 
can  be'  made  by  rolling  a piece  of  leather 
round  the  wire  thickest  at  the  flower,  and  then 
add  another  piece  of  leather  about  an  inch  be- 
low the  corolla,  which  must  have  five  fine  pointed 
leaves  for  the  calyx. 


No.  14. 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 


43 


DAISY. 


The  Daisy  is  formed  by  making  two  pieces  of 
leather  like  the  pattern,  one  larger  than  the  other, 


and  putting  the  wire,  for  stalk,  through  both  of 
them.  The  little  golden  centre  of  the  daisy,  can 
be  well  imitated  by  placing  a round  piece  of 
leather,  rather  thick,  in  the  centre,  shaved  off  at 
the  edges,  and  marked  with  the  veining  tool  full 
of  dots. 


No.  15. 


44 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


ROSES. 


A Wild  Rose  is  made  by  cutting  out  two 
pieces  of  leather,  exactly  as  in  the  engraving, 
putting  the  wire  through  two  holes  made  in  the 
centre  of  the  pieces  with  a fine  bradawl,  and 
pass  a piece  of  wire  through  the  holes,  leaving 


both  ends  of  the  wire  at  the  back  to  be  twisted 
for  the  stalk.  To  form  the  stamina,  cut  fine 
strips  of  leather  as  long  again  as  the  stamina 
are  required  to  be,  and  insert  them  under  the  eye 
of  the  wire  which  forms  the  stalk ; then  cut  the 
stamina,  and  pinch  them  up  into  form  ; the  top 
piece,  containing  five  petals,  must  be  moulded 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK.  4o 

and  curved  upward,  inclosing  the  stamina ; the 
bottom  piece  also,  containing  five  petals,  must 
be  moulded  downwards,  curving  and  bending 
them  into  form. 

To  make  a larger  Rose,  cut  out  a smaller 
piece  than  is  shown  in  the  engraving,  of  the 
same  form,  also  the  two  in  the  engraving,  and  a 
larger  piece  of  the  same  form  making  four 
pieces,  containing  twenty  petals ; then  proceed 
as  before  mentioned,  and  a fuller  Rose  is  pro- 
duced ; thus  the  character  of  the  flower  and  the 
number  of  petals  can  be  regulated  with  compar- 
ative ease. 

The  rose  leaves  can  be  moulded  at  the  back 
by  pressing  them  into  the  grape  mould  with  one 
of  the  pressing  tools. 


46 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


OAK  AND  IVY  BRACKET. 

— o — 

The  Bracket  annexed  is  out  of  the  usual  run 
of  brackets  which  have  generally  been  orna- 
mented with  leather  work.  The  vine  and  the 
convolvulus  pattern  are  much  used  with  very 


No.  17. 


beautiful  effect.  We  intended  this  design  to 
exhibit  old  oak : it  should  be  stained  very  dark, 
the  oak  stems  being  very  thick,  while  the  stems  of 
ivy  can  be  formed  of  tendrils.  To  make  the  oak 
stem,  get  very  thick  wire,  and  have  it  cut  to  the 
desired  lengths,  then  cover  the  wires  with  leather, 
and  bend  them  to  resemble  gnarled  oak  ; attach, 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 


47 


as  naturally  as  possible,  oak  leaves  and  acorns 
at  the  back  of  the  wires,  and  on  the  wood  work 
as  shown  in  the  skeleton  bracket  in  a former 
part  of  this  work ; then  attach  the  ivy  tendrils, 
leaves,  and  berries  around  the  oak  stems,  and  the 
bracket  is  completed. 

We  have  found  it  much  improves  the  appear- 
ance of  any  piece  of  work  we  have  been  orna- 
menting, to  give  the  whole  when  completed  a 
slight  coat  of  varnish. 


48 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


WATCH  STAND  FINISHED. 

— * — 

The  design  for  a Watch  Stand  will  illustrate 
one  of  the  various  modes  of  ornamenting  this 
kind  of  work ; it  is  very  light,  and  better  than 


■too  much  crowding  the  ornamented  parts,  which, 
besides  being  a waste  of  time,  would  not  look 
so  elegant  as  lighter  work. 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 


49 


CARD  RACKS 
— ♦ — • 

Can  be  made  in  a variety  of  ways  — the  design 
here  exhibited  is  novel,  and  at  the  same  time 


No.  19. 


very  useful.  The  back  is  made  either  with 
wood,  or  calf-skin  leather ; and  the  leaves  form- 
ing the  rack  are  also  made  of  the  same  material. 
Calf-skin  dries#  very  hard,  being  treated  exactly 
the  same  as  the  basil  leather  in  the  manner  of 
working. 


4 


50 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


THE  ROUND  OPEN  WORK  FRAME. 


The  beautiful  design  in  the  accompanying 
page  is  made  with  a round  frame  of  any  width 
desired,  having  two  rebates,  one  inside  and  one 
outside  the  frame — the  inside  rebate  being  to 
admit  the  picture,  and  the  outside  one  to  allow 
of  the  nailing  firmly  to  the  frame  the  open  work, 
which  is  to  be  made  in  the  following  manner : — 
Take  a flat  board,  an  ironing  board  will  do,  lay 
the  frame  upon  it,  and  with  a black  lead  pencil 
or  a piece  of  chalk,  mark  the  size  all  round, 
making  allowance  for  the  rebate ; then  having 
ready  the  stems,  work  them  in  and  out,  so  as  to 
form  the  open  work  as  in  the  drawing;  when 
finished,  nail  it  to  the  frame,  and  work  stems  and 
tendrils  of  the  vine,  hop,  passion  flower,  or  any 
other  beautiful  creeping  plant,  attaching  the  fruit 
or  flowers  in  an  artistic  manner,  and  the  result 
will  be  one  of  the  most  elegant  frames  ever  be- 
held. % 

The  open  or  trellis  work  of  this  frame  should 
have  stout  wire  inclosed  in  the  basil  leather,  and 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 


53 


in  order  that  it  may  not  appear  formal,  wind 
pieces  of  leather  round  the  naked  wire  at  irreg- 
ular intervals  to  resemble  knots,  etc.,  then  cover 
the  whole  with  basil  leather,  — the  stem  and 
tendrils  which  are  to  wind  in  and  out,  and  are  a 
portion  of  the  plant,  are  not  to  have  wire  in 
them. 

Fire  Screens  are  generally  filled  with  Berlin 
wool,  or  some  other  fancy  needlework.  Those 
who  would  prefer  to  have  an  entire  piece  of 
leather  work  can  paint  landscapes  or  flowers 
upon  white  leather,  using  the  same  medium  as 
is  used  in  body  color  painting  at  the  School  of 
Design,  mixed  with  finely  powdered  colors. 


54 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


The  basket  ornamented  with  rose  sprays  out- 
side, can  be  lined  inside  with  velvet,  and  little 
pockets  being  made  in  the  velvet  lining,  they  be- 


come a very  useful  article ; the  outside  is  stained 
old  oak. 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 


55 


The  running  border  here  displayed  can  be 
adapted  to  ornamenting  cornices,  poles,  frames, 


etc. ; it  is  very  easy  of  imitation,  and  will  well 
repay  the  artist. 


We  shall  conclude  our  designs  with  the  table, 
which  is  made  in  four  pieces,  so  that  one  part 
can  be  done  at  a time,  and  when  completed,  can 
be  removed  until  the  whole  is  completed,  when 
it  can  be  put  firmly  together,  and  forms  a solid 
example  of  the  use  and  beauty  of  the  Orna- 
mental Leather  Work. 


No.  22. 


■©< 


ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER,  WORK. 


57 


TO  MAKE  ACORNS. 


Acorns  can  be  made  in  the  following  manner. 
Procure  some  natural  acorn-cups  (which  are  to 
be  found  in  great  quantities  in  the  autumn), 
choose  such  cups  only  as  are  perfectly  sound; 
then  pierce  two  holes  through  the  bottom  of  the 
cup,  pass  a piece  of  fine  wire  through  the  holes, 
leaving  the  two  ends  long  enough  to  be  twisted 
into  a stalk;  if  the  stalk  is  to  be  exposed,  it  must 
be  covered  with  skiver  and  made  fast  with  Shaw’s 
liquid  glue.  The  most  correctly  formed  acorn 
tops  are  those  turned  in  wood,  which  can  be 
firmly  placed  in  the  cup  by  the  aid  of  the  liquid 
glue ; this  completes  the  fully-formed  acorn. 

CHERRIES. 

Cherries  are  made  in  the  same  manner  as 
grapes,  and  the  stalk  neatly  covered  with  skiver 
leather. 


58 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


APPLES,  ETC. 


Apples  and  pears  can  be  turned  in  wood ; they 
may  be  left  bare,  or  covered  with  skiver  leather ; 
they  look  much  better  covered  with  skiver,  and 
are,  then,  leather  work,  properly  speaking;  or 
fruit  may  be  moulded  in  plaster  casts  with  gutta 
percha. 

Carved  wood  figures  may  be  draped  with 
tolerable  success  with  the  skiver  leather,  but  we 
have  never  seen  any  that  looked  well  enough 
when  finished  to  repay  the  time  and  trouble. 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 


59 


RECIPES. 

_ — $ 

TO  MAKE  SIZE  FOR  STIFFENING 
THE  LEATHER  WORK. 

— ♦ — 

Simmer  4 oz.  of  strips  of  parchment  in  8 oz. 
of  water  till  it  is  reduced  one  half;  skim  off  any 
impurities  that  may  arise  to  the  surface,  then 
strain  it  through  a fine  sieve,  or  cloth,  into  a 
basin ; leave  it  till  cold,  when  it  will  be  firm  and 
clear ; when  required  for  use,  cut  off  as  much  as 
you  want,  and  warm  it.  Use  while  warm. 


60 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


TO  MAKE  STIFFENING  WHICH  IS 
NOT  AFFECTED  BY  DAMP. 

Mix,  cold,  2 oz.  of  Australian  red  gum,  6 oz. 
of  orange  shellac,  \ pint  spirits  of  wine ; put  all 
into  a bottle,  and  shake  it  up  occasionally  till  the 
gums  are  dissolved ; strain,  and  it  is  fit  for  use. 
This  is  far  preferable  to  the  above  size,  as  it  is 
more  hardening,  dries  quicker,  is  always  ready 
for  use,  and  is  never  affected  by  damp  in  change 
of  weather. 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 


61 


TO  MAKE  MAHOGANY  VARNISH 
STAIN,  WHICH  DRIES  IN  A 
FEW  MINUTES. 


Mix,  cold,  | lb.  Australian  red  gum,  i lb.  gar- 
net shellac,  1 pint  spirits  of  wine  ; put  them  in  a 
bottle,  and  shake  occasionally,  till  the  gum  is 
dissolved ; strain,  and  it  is  fit  for  use.  The 
above  makes  a capital  varnish  for  leather  of  all 
kinds,  especially  for  the  leather  covers  of  old 
books ; it  preserves  them,  and  gives  an  appear- 
ance almost  equal  to  new. 


62 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


SPIRIT  OAK  VARNISH  STAIN 

Can  be  made  by  adding  to  the  above  mahogany 
stain,  a small  portion  of  vegetable  black,  shaking 
it  up  till  well  incorporated.  To  use  the  spirit 
oak  stain  on  larger  surfaces  we  have  found  it 
preferable  to  apply  it  in  the  same  manner  as  a 
French  polish  - — namely,  let  all  dirt  and  wax  be 
perfectly  rubbed  off  with  fine  glass  paper,  till 
quite  smooth,  then  make  a flannel  rubber  in  the 
form  of  a printer’s  dabber,  put  a little  stain  un 
the  dabber,  and  put  a clean  calico  rag  over  it ; 
apply  a little  linseed  oil,  with  your  finger,  to  the 
calico,  and  commence  rubbing  over  a small 
space,  in  a circular  direction  (never  suffering  the 
rubber  to  remain  on  any  part),  till  you  feel  it  be- 
come tacky,  then  apply  a little  more  oil,  and  so 
on,  till  the  stain  on  the  rubber  is  exhausted. 
Should  the  stain  become  too  thick  to  work 
freely,  add  a few  drops  of  spirits  of  wine,  and 
shake  it  well  together.  When  you  have  raised 

4 

a fine  polish  over  the  surface,  let  it  remain  a few 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK.  63 

hours  to  harden,  then  take  a clean  bit  of  calico, 
and  just  damp  it  with  spirits  of  wine,  rub  it 
lightly  over  the  surface  in  a circular  direction, 
which,  repeated  two  or  three  times,  will  clear  off 
all  smears,  and  leave  the  most  beautiful  gloss 
ever  seen. 

In  this  latter  process  of  finishing  off,  you  must 
be  cautious  not  to  damp  the  rag  too  much,  for 
that  would  instantly  destroy  all  the  polish ; also, 
to  change  the  rag  often,  and  not  suffer  it  to  re- 
main on  any  part.  For  carved  work  it  is  only 
necessary  to  clean  it  as  before  directed,  and 
apply  the  stain  with  a camePs-hair  brush,  by  a 
gentle  fire,  letting  it  dry  between  each  applica- 
tion. 

The  best  oak  varnish  stain  is  that  made  with 
asphaltum;  but,  as  the  manufacturing  is  at- 
tended with  great  danger,  we  think  it  best  not  to 
give  the  particulars ; and  it  can  be  procured 
cheaper  than  it  could  be  made  in  small  quan- 
tities. 


64 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


TO  PRESERVE  LEAVES  AND  KEEP 
THEM  IN  FORM  FOR  IMITATION. 


Procure  1 lb.  or  more  of  white  starch  powder, 
dry  it  well  in  an  open  dish  before  the  fire,  put  it 
on  one  side  to  cool ; when  quite  cool,  put  a layer 
of  half  an  inch  at  the  bottom  of  a small  box, 
observing  that  the  box  also  is  dry;  gather  the 
leaves,  if  possible,  on  a fine  summer  day,  and 
lay  as  many  leaves  gently  on  the  starch  powder 
at  the  bottom  of  the  box  as  can  be  done  without 
interfering  with  each  other,  then  sprinkle  starch 
powder  over  them,  and  shake  it  down  so  that  the 
pow^der  settles  all  around  above  and  below  the 
leaves  until  they  are  completely  covered,  and 
about  half  an  inch  of  the  starch  powder  above 
them,  then  put  another  layer  of  leaves,  and 
proceed  with  the  starch  powder  as  before  until 
the  box  is  filled,  then  press  ' the  top  part,  quite 
full  of  starch  powder,  fastening  the  lid  of  the 
box  firmly  down  until  the  leaves  are  required. 
Ferns  and  flat  leaves  can  be  preserved  by  plac- 
ing them  between  sheets  of  blotting  paper  under 
a weight. 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 


65 


TO  GILD  LEATHER  WORK. 


The  materials  necessary  for  gilding  of  this 
kind  are : — 

A Gilder’s  Knife, 

A Gilder’s  Cushion, 

Some  Gold  Leaf, 

A little  Cotton  Wool, 

A few  Camel’s  Hair  Pencils, 

One  or  two  Hog’s  Hair  Tools, 

A Tip, 

Oil  Gold  Size, 

Fat  Oil, 

Drying  Oil,  and  a 
Burnisher’s  Stone. 

They  cost  only  a few  shillings,  and  with  care 
last  a very  long  time. 

Size  the  wood  work  twice  over  with  parch- 
ment size,  cut  all  the  leaves,  and  make  the  flow- 

5 


66 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


ers  in  the  usual  manner ; size  them  all  over  twice 
with  parchment  size ; nail  them  down  to  the 
frame,  and  glue  them  when  tacks  would  look 
unsightly : needle  points  are  very  useful  in  this 
work  to  secure  it  firmly,  and  cut  them  short  off 
when  the  glued  parts  are  dry  — all  the  flowers 
and  leaves  being  attached,  go  over  the  entire 
work  again  with  parchment  size  very  thinly ; the 
parchment  size  must  be  used  warm ; when  the 
size  is  dry,  mix  well  in  a cup  or  any  clean  earthen 
vessel  about  an  ounce  of  oil  gold  size,  and  with 
equal  parts  of  fat  oil  and  drying  oil  thin  the  gold 
size  to  the  consistence  of  cream ; take  a hog’s 
hair  tool,  and  with  it  brush  equally  and  very 
thinly  all  over  every  part  that  can  be  seen  with 
this  prepared  gold  size,  set  it  on  one  side  for  an 
hour  or  two  or  more,  until  it  has  become  almost 
dry,  and  just  sticks  to  your  fingers  when  touched : 
it  must  now  be  gilded  all  over,  and  to  do  this, 
take  a book  of  gold,  handling  it  quietly,  and 
mind  there  is  no  draft,  as  a current  of  air  would 
blow  all  the  gold  away ; turn  out  of  the  book 
two  or  three  leaves  of  gold  upon  the  cushion, 
and  blow  gently  upon  the  centre  of  each  leaf,  to 
make  them  lay  flat  on  the  cushion;  with  the 
gilder’s  knife  cut  the  gold  leaves  into  the  sizes 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 


67 


required  to  cover  the  work,  and  with  the  tip  or 
the  gilder’s  knife  take  up  the  gold  from  the  cush- 
ion and  lay  it  all  over  the  frame  till  it  is  covered, 
pressing  the  gold  down  with  a large  camel  hair 
tool  or  a piece  of  cotton  wool,  taking  care  not  to 
rub  it  backward  or  forward,  but  to  put  it  very 
straight  down  on  to  the  work ; should  there  be 
any  holes  left,  cut  small  pieces  of  gold  leaf  and 
lay  over  them,  pressing  the  gold  down,  proceed- 
ing in  the  above  manner  till  the  frame  is  covered 
all  over  with  gold  ; it  must  then  be  left  to  dry  an 
hour  or  two,  and  when  dry  brush  all  the  loose 
gold  off  with  a large  camel  hair  or  badger’s  hair 
tool,  and  the  gilding  is  completed.  Leather 
work  gilded  by  the  above  process  will  bear 
washing,  and  is  the  most  durable  kind  of  gilding 
known. 


68 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


TO  BURNISH  GOLD. 

— ♦ — 

Acorns  and  any  wooden  part  attached  to 
leather  work  can  be  burnished,  which  adds  much 
to  the  variety  of  the  work,  and  is  done  in  the 
following  manner : — that  part  of  the  work  in- 
tended to  be  burnished  must  be  prepared  exactly 
as  above,  except  that  instead  of  using  the  pre- 
pared oil  gold  size  take  the  white  of  an  egg  and 
give  the  work  a coat  of  it,  let  it  dry,  then  give  it 
another  coat,  and  when  nearly  dry  see  that  it 
lays  on  evenly ; apply  the  gold  leaf  all  over ; 
leave  it  an  hour  or  two  to  become  hard ; then 
burnish  it  by  rubbing  it  all  over  with  a burnish- 
ing stone  or  any  very  hard  and  perfectly  smooth 
substance.  This  burnish  gilding  is  far  more 
orilliant  than  the  oil  gold,  but  will  not  wash, 
and  is  not  so  durable. 


69 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 


BEEHIVES. 

— ♦ — 

Beehives  can  be  made  with  leather  stems,  as 
follows  : — Cut  a piece  of  wood  to  the  shape  and 
size  required  ; wind  and  glue  upon  it  the  stems, 
beginning  at  the  top,  and  finishing  off  at  the  bot- 
tom. To  join  the  stems  as  you  proceed,  cut 
each  end  to  an  angle,  so  that  they  fit;  join  them 
with  liquid  glue,  and  tie  a piece  of  thread  round 
to  hold  them  tightly  together  until  the  glue  is 
dry.  When  the  hive  is  completed,  that  portion 
of  thread  left  visible  can  be  cut  off. 

To  imitate  the  tying  seen  in  hives,  mark  with 
a pen,  or  a camel’s  hair  pencil,  with  the  darkest 
stain,  lines  and  dots  from  top  to  bottom ; cut  a 
small  piece  out  of  the  lower  tier  to  make  the  en- 
trance, and  put  a little  handle  at  the  top  with  a 
piece  of  stem. 

When  made  as  above,  on  wood,  and  well 
glued,  they  can  be  sawn  in  halves,  thus  making 
two.  Placed  amongst  foliage,  frames,  etc.,  they 
are  quite  in  keeping,  and  have  a pleasing  effect. 


70 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


s 


TO  PAINT  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER 
WORK. 


Use  finely  powdered  colors,  and  mix  them  to 
the  consistence  of  cream,  with  the  following  me- 
dium : — - Mix  the  white  of  an  egg  with  2 oz.  of 
pure  distilled  vinegar  ; put  them  into  a bottle  and 
shake  them  well  together  whenever  you  are 
about  to  mix  any  colors  with  it:  or  mix  the 
colors  with  parchment  size  warmed;  use  while 
warm : or  mix  them  with  a weak  solution  of 
gum  arabic;  and,  in  either  case,  varnish  them 
with  a quick  drying  pale  varnish.  Oil  colors 
will  not  do  for  painting  this  kind  of  materials : 
any  of  the  above  mediums,  properly  prepared, 
will  answer  well  Gilding  may  be  interspersed 
with  brilliant  effect. 


TO  ORNAMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 


71 


A QUICK  MODE  OF  STAINING. 

— * — 

The  quickest  mode  of  staining  the  Orna- 
mental Leather  Work  is  as  follqws : — Procure 
a bottle  of  Revell’s  Chemical  Oak  Color 
Stain.  This  preparation  will  not  soil  the  hands, 
or  the  finest  linen  or  woollen  fabrics ; will  not 
stain  wood  or  any  other  substance  than  the 
leather  to  which  it  is  applied,  to  which  it  im- 
parts the  perfect  appearance  of  old  oak  without 
any  gloss,  at  the  same  time  hardening  the  leather 
without  injuring  it. 


72 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE 


DIRECTIONS  FOR  USE. 


Having  your  leaves,  etc.,  cut  out  and  dried, 
pour  some  of  the  contents  of  this  bottle  into  a 
saucer,  and  apply  it  copiously  with  a camel’s 
hair  brush,  all  over  the  leaves,  back  and  front, 
particularly  the  edges;  bend  them  while  damp 
as  you  wish  them  to  appear  upon  the  finished 
work,  then  dry  them  rather  quickly  at  a moder- 
ate distance  from  the  fire,  or  in  a current  of  air ; 
when  dry  they  are  ready  for  use. 

The  leaves,  etc.,  can  be  attached  to  any  form 
of  work,  and  it  is  completed.  When  the  entire 
work  is  complete,  it  can  be  varnished  at  pleasure, 
as  follows  : — Procure  a bottle  of  Revell’s  Oak 
Spirit  Stain,  and  give  the  entire  work  an  even 
coat  of  it ; it  dries  in  a few  minutes,  and  has  the 
appearance  of  polished  oak. 


TO  ORNxiMENTAL  LEATHER  WORK. 


73 


TO  STAIN  WOODEN  ARTICLES. 

If  all  the  work  is  to  be  left  dull,  give  the  frame 
or  bracket,  etc.,  a coat  of  Oak  Spirit  Stain, 
which  dries  in  dull  if  put  upon  new  wood,  not 
prepared  in  any  manner.  To  prepare  wmoden 
frames,  etc.,  so  that  the  Oak  Spirit  Stain  shall 
assume  a polished  surface,  it  is  necessary  to  size 
the  frame  well  and  leave  it  to  dry;  when  dry, 
give  it  one  or  more  coats  of  Oak  Spirit  Stain. 

Those  who  prefer  making  the  Oak  Spirit 
Stain,  can  do  so  by  referring  to  the  receipt  in 
this  book ; it  is  made  with  little  trouble,  and  is 
composed  principally  of  Australian  Red  Gum ; 
a new  article  to  most  of  our  readers ; and, 
although  many  druggists,  etc.,  have  procured  it 
when  they  have  received  orders  for  it,  we  are 
sorry  to  say,  in  several  instances,  they  have  said 
there  was  no  article  of  that  description ; or  else 
have  substituted  a different  kind  of  gum,  per- 
fectly worthless  for  this  purpose;  consequently, 
disappointment  has  ensued  ; and  in  order  to  pro- 
tect the  public  from  being  imposed  upon,  and 
ourselves  the  disgrace  of  publishing  any  thing 


74 


A COMPLETE  GUIDE. 


not  practicable,  we  are  obliged,  in  self-defence, 
to  state  how  we  came  to  use  it. 

In  the  month  of  January,  1852,  the  publisher 
was  applied  to  for  a varnish  stain  that  would  dry 
quickly,  and  at  the  same  time  be  the  color  re- 
quired : he  was  making  experiments  for  this  pur- 
pose, when,  taking  up  the  Times  newspaper  of 
Friday,  January  23rd,  he  found,  under  the  head- 
ing of  Society  of  Arts,  an  epitome  of  Profes- 
sor Edward  Solly’s  lecture,  at  the  above  Soci- 
ety on  the  previous  Wednesday,  on  vegetable 
substances  used  in  the  Arts,  etc.  Allusions  were 
made  to  a fine  red  gum  from  New  South  Wales: 
he  procured  the  lecture,  and  then,  after  a little 
trouble,  obtained  samples  ; they  were  tested,  and 
one  was  found  to  answer,  and  he  has  now  in 
stock  several  tons  of  the  proper  kind  for  making 
the  stain,  and  can  supply  it  in  any  quantity. 

We  will  now  conclude  by  directing  the  student 
to  an  attentive  observance  of  nature : we  have 
avoided,  as  far  as  possible,  technical  terms ; 
where  they  are  used  the  illustrations  will,  in  most 
cases,  explain  them.  The  study  of  this  mode  of 
decoration  has  often  led  those  who  had  not  be- 
fore observed  the  varied  beauties  of  the  floral 
world  to  do  so  with  the  greatest  pleasure  and  the 
happiest  results. 


LIST  OF  MATERIALS,  ETC., 


FOR 

ORNAMENTAL ' LEATHER  WORK, 

SOLD  BY 

A.  WHEELER  & Co.,  . . . . 73  UNION  STREET,  BOSTON. 


Basil  Leather,  of  the  first  quality.  Skiver  Leather,  of  the 
first  quality.  Oak  Varnish  Stain,  small  and  large  bottles. 
Spirit  Oak  Stain,  do.  Spirit  Mahogany  Stain,  do.  Wood 
Stains.  Stains  and  Varnishes  of  every  description.  Saucers 
for  the  Oak  Stain,  etc.  Glues,  of  all  descriptions.  Prepared 
Stiffening,  small  and  large  bottles.  Brad-awls.  Hammers. 
Wire  of  different  sizes.  Hog’s  Hair  Brushes.  Camel’s  Hair 
Pencils,  and  a variety  of  Brackets,  Prames,  etc.,  for  Orna- 
menting, made  to  order  at  short  notice. 


ARTISTS’  AND  PAINTERS’  COLORS. 
ENGLISH  OIL  COLORS, 


IN  PATENT  COLLAPSIBLE  TUBES,  PREPARED  OF  CHOICEST 
PIGMENTS,  FOR  ARTISTS. 


Antwerp  Blue, 

Asphaltum, 

Bitumen, 

Blue  Black, 
Bone  Brown, 
Brilliant  Yellow, 
Brown  Pink, 
Brown  Red, 
Brown  Ochre, 


Burnt  Sienna, 
Burnt  Umber, 
Caledonian  Brown, 
Cappah  Brown, 
Chrome  Yellow, 
Cologne  Earth, 
Cremnitz  White, 
Crimson  Lake, 
Deep  Chrome, 


2 


Emerald  Green, 
Flake  White, 

Golden  Ochre, 
Indigo, 

Indian  Red, 

Indian  Lake  or  Lac, 
Italian  Pink, 

Ivory  Black, 

Lamp  Black, 

Lake, 

Light  Red, 

Mummy, 

Naples  Yellow, 
Naples  “ deep, 
Orange  Chrome, 
Permanent  Blue, 
Prussian  Blue, 


Brown  Madder, 
Cadmium, 

Carmine, 

Cobalt, 

French  Ultramarine, 
Indian  Yellow, 
Lemon  Yellow,  1-2, 
Madder  Lake, 

Mars  Brown, 

Mars  Orange, 


Purple  Lake, 
Raw  Sienna, 

Raw  Umber, 
Roman  Ochre, 
Scarlet  Lake, 
Silver  White, 
Sugar  Lead, 
Terra  Rosa, 
Terra  Verde, 
Vandyke  Brown, 
Venetian  Red, 
Verdigris, 
Verona  Brown, 
Yellow  Lake, 
Yellow  Ochre, 
Zinc  White. 


OLORS. 

Mars  Red, 

Mars  Yellow, 
Orange  Vermilion, 
Oxide  of  Chromium, 
Pink  Madder, 
Purple  Madder, 

Rose  Madder, 
Scarlet  Vermilion, 
Vermilion, 

Yellow  Madder. 


EXTRA  C 


OILS,  VARNISHES,  AND  MEDIUMS. 


FOR  ARTISTS’  USE. 


Nut  Oil, 

Poppy  Oil, 
Linseed  Oil, 
Drying  Oil, 
Mastic  Varnish, 
Copal  Varnish, 


Gold  Size, 
Turpentine, 

Siccatif  of  Harlem, 
Retouching  Varnish, 
Megilp, 

Medium. 


3 


COLORS  IN  POWDER  AND  DROP. 


Whites. 

Silver  White, 

Cremnitz  44 
Flake  44 

Zinc  “ 

Albonese  44 

Blues. 

Cobalt  Blue, 

Lapis  Lazuli, 

Ultramarine  Ashes, 

French  Ultramarine, 
German  44 
Chinese  Blue, 

Prussian  44 
Super  Mineral  Blue, 
Antwerp  “ 

Celestial  44 

Indigo  44 

Steel  44 

Yerditer  44 

Refiner’s  Yerditer  44 
Slip  44 

Yellows. 

Spooner’s  Chromes, 

Lemon,  Medium,  and  Deep 
Orange, 

American  Chromes, 

Oxford  Ochre, 

Roman  44 
Cadmium  Yellow, 

King’s  44 
Lemon  “ 

Orpiment  44 
Naples  . 44 
French  Ochre, 

Dutch  Pink. 

Greens. 

Chrome  Green,  Light,  M. 
and  D. 


Emerald  Green, 

Paris  44 
Scheels  “ 

Mineral  44 
Bronze  44 
Yerdigris  44 
Crystal  “ 

Yerditer  “ 

Browns. 

Burnt  and  Raw  Sienna, 

“ “ Umber, 

“ Roman  Ochre, 
Purple  Brown, 

Yandyke  “ 

Earth  Cologne, 
Asphaltum, 

Mummy, 

Bitumen, 

Brown  Red. 

Reds. 

Chinese  Yermilion, 
Field’s  Extract  “ 

English  “ 

German  “ 

Trieste  “ 

Persian  “ 

American  “ 

Indian  Red, 

Light  “ 

Prussian  11 
Yandyke44 
Rose  Pink. 

Blacks. 

Pure  Ivory  Black, 
Eddy’s  44  44 

English  Drop  44 
Eddy’s  Lamp  44 
Frankfort  44 
Grape  44 


Blue  Black, 
Bone  “ 


4 


Lakes. 

Rose  Madder  Lake, 

Purple  “ “ 

Rose  Brown  Madder  Lake, 
Super  Scarlet  Lake, 
English  Crimson  u 
Carmine  “ 

Superfine,  Nos.  1,  2,  and  3, 
Burnt  Madder  Lake, 
Munich  “ 

Platt  “ 


Rose  Lake, 

Green  “ 

Yellow  “ 

Indian  u 
Goade  “ 

Crimson  “ 

Roberts’  “ 

Roman  “ > 

Carmines. 
Nackarat  Carmine, 

No.  40  “ 

Nos.  8,  10,  & 20  Carmine, 
Madder  Carmine. 


VARNISHES, 

FOR  COACH  PAINTERS  AND  OTHERS. 


Imperial  Coach  Body  Yarnish, 
Imperial  Black  Enamel  Var- 
nish, 

American  Coach  Body  Var- 
nish, 

White  Coach  Body  Varnish, 
White  Carriage  Varnish, 
White  Enamel  Varnish, 
Copal  Polishing  Varnish, 
Transfer  Varnish, 

White  Lac  V arnish, 


OILS,  JAP 

Bleached  Linseed  Oil, 

Dutch  “ “ 

English  “ “ 

Nut  and  Poppy  “ 

Boiled  and  Raw  “ 

Japan  Dryer, 

White  Liquid  Zinc  Dryer, 
English  Patent  “ 

Black  Baking  Japan, 

Brown  “ u 


Amber  Varnish, 

Shellac  Varnish, 

Asphaltum  Varnish, 

Printers’  Varnish, 

Japan  Varnish, 

Morocco  Varnish, 

A large  variety  of  Colored 
Varnishes, 

Papier  Mache  Varnish, 
Gilders’  Gold  Varnish, 
Musical  Instrument  Varnish. 


ANS,  ETC. 

Oil  Gold  Size, 

Quick  “ “ 

Minot’s  Bronzing  Size, 
Printers’  Gold  “ 

Gold  and  Bronze  Lacquer, 
Fat  Oil, 

French  Polish, 

Cabinet  “ 

Gold  Paint, 

Spirits  Wine. 


5 


BRUSHES. 

Camel  Hair  Lacquering  Brushes,  round  and  flat. 

“ “ large  Swan  Quill  Pencil,  round  and  square  top. 

“ “ “ “ “ pointed  top. 

u “ “ “ “ for  Miniatures. 

* Black  & Bed  Sables  “ “ “ “ “ 

Camel  Hair  Pencils,  in  Goose,  Duck,  and  Pigeon  Quills,  for 
Miniatures,  Lettering,  and  Striping. 

Sable  Hair  Pencils,  in  Goose,  Duck,  and  Pigeon  Quills,  for 
Miniatures,  Lettering,  and  Striping. 

Camel  Hair  Swan  Quill  Stripers,  of  various  lengths. 

Fitch  Hair  Pencils,  for  Gilders,  etc. 

Large  round  Camel  Hair  Brushes,  on  handles,  for  Varnishing. 

Flat  “ “ “ “ “ “ 

all  widths. 

Gilders’  Tips,  of  various  widths. 

Badger  Varnish  Brushes,  of  all  sizes,  widths,  and  thicknesses, 
for  Carriage  and  Piano-Forte  Finishers. 

Poonah  Brushes,  for  Monochromatic  and  Mezzotint  Painting. 

Varnish  “ round  and  flat,  all  widths,  of  fine  French 
bristles. 

Paint  Brushes,  in  great  variety. 

Graining  “ of  every  description  of  Bristle  and  Bear’s 
Hair. 

Badger  Hair  Blenders,  of  all  sizes. 


MISCELLANEOUS. 

English  Prepared  Canvas,  on  stretchers;  Plain,  Roman, 
Ticken. 

Prepared  Millboards. 

Newman’s,  and  VVinsor  & Newton’s  Water  Colors. 
Crayons. 

Black  Lead  Pencils. 

Whatman’s  best  Drawing  Paper. 

English  Crayon  Paper  — assorted  tints. 

French  “ “ “ “ 

English  Bristol  Boards — 2,  3,  and  4 sheets. 

“ “ “ tinted. 

Cartoon  Paper,  40  to  60  inches  wide,  of  any  length. 


6 


Monochromatic  Board. 

Pastel  Crayon  Paper. 

Mathematical  Boxes. 

Compasses,  4,  5,  and  6 inches,  assorted. 

Porte  Crayons,  Steel,  Brass,  and  Washed  Metal. 

Thumb  Tacks,  single  and  double. 

Drawing  Boards,  11  x 15,  15  x 21,  22  x 29,  29  x 42  inches. 
Superior  T Squares,  12,  14,  16,  22,  30,  and  44  inches, 
fixed  and  movable  heads. 

Drawing  Rules. 

Mathematical  Curves  and  Squares. 

Stumps  of  Leather,  Paper,  and  Cork,  assorted  sizes. 
Ivories,  for  Miniature  Painting. 


'V- 


:■ 


....  


■ 


- 


